Have your New Year’s Resolutions already gone awry? Maybe you promised yourself some more “me time”, or decided you wanted to live in the moment more, but are already struggling. Don’t give up just yet. This year, put travelling at the top of your list. Whatever your goals and resolutions are, find a way to incorporate travelling. Want to go to the gym? Why not go in your all inclusive resort. Want to spend more time with friends and family? Why not go on holidays together! Whatever the budget, whatever the time frame, there are some amazing holiday options available at your fingertips, that’ll both motivate you and help you prioritise your own wellbeing. No excuses allowed- make 2023 the year of more flights.
Day Trips
For the busy traveller, why not indulge yourself in a day trip? Maybe you’re working or studying full time and can’t get the days off for a week long holiday. No problem! There are so many destinations that you can fly over and back in just one short day. Grab the earliest flight in the morning, spend the day eating good food, sightseeing and shopping, before getting the late flight home. These shorter flights are often available for under 30 euro on the Ryanair App or Website. And, better yet, you’re saving money on accommodation too, so you can really treat yourself and do whatever you want during the day!
Examples of some day trip destinations are:
London (1hr 20min flight, averaging 25 euro)
Edinburgh (1hr 5min flight, averaging 20 euro)
Amsterdam (1hr 40min flight, averaging 75 euro)
Weekend Getaways
If one day isn’t enough, a weekend getaway to some of the major cities in Europe may be exactly what you’re looking for. If heading to the airport post Friday afternoon lectures sounds like your cup of tea, just bite the bullet and book it! Although you’re staying overnight this time, it can still be done on a budget. Use the price tool on Booking.com and AirBnB to filter your searches for accommodation. Find something within a reasonable budget and don’t be scared off by low prices. Make sure to do your research on the surrounding area and connections to the cities, but during off peak times such as February and March, it’ll be common for some of the biggest capitals to have fairly reasonable accommodation prices. Just make sure you read the reviews! Another top tip is to ditch the 10kg unless you really need it, just stuff everything into your hand luggage and avoid paying the hefty extras.
Some ideal Weekend City Breaks are:
Paris (approx 90 euro with non peak flight times)
Milan (approx 110 euro)
Rome (approx 85 euro)
Barcelona (approx 105 euro)
Berlin (approx 75 euro)
Longer Trips
With reading week fastly approaching and Summer holidays on all of our minds, you may want a destination that feels a bit more long term. While there’s so many places, all so different, that I could recommend going, for me, summer holidays, or longer holidays, need three key elements- a nearby town, a beach/pool and some activities. When I think of this type of holiday, I think of the below destinations:
Lisbon, Portugal
Split, Croatia
Corfu, Greece (a good bit cheaper than your Mykonos and Santorinis)
Zagreb, Croatia
Lanzarote, Spain
Faro, Portugal
Malaga, Spain
Valencia, Spain
If you want something a bit different, you could try Budapest, which has amazing baths that attract visitors each year, Cappadocia in Turkey, which hosts a hot air balloon festival during the summer, with the beautiful balloons visible from the roof of most hotels or Lake Bled, Slovenia, which although is difficult to get to, looks absolutely beautiful.